Weird Fish??

[boulderman1]

i'm looking to add a really odd/weird fish that is very unique, something like freshwater lionfish or eel, the problem is, those fish are too aggressive/larger (respectively) for my 37 gal tank, any species suggestions much apprecitated

thanks

[Toirtis]

Perhaps a ropefish (Erpetoichthys calabaricus)?

[tmtpowers]

Beautiful tank there! Depending on what fish you have, a peacock could do well in your tank IF and only if, you remove the shark jaws. They are scaleless and something like that will cut them. They get 12" long and are peaceful fish except to the small fish such as neons, guppies, and similar sized fish.
These guys do need either frozen or live foods. Thus far, neither of my two have eaten much (if any) frozen foods. One of the two loves red wigglers. The other, well we haven't found a food he will eat yet. We aren't sure if he is just too stressed to eat (we've had him only a week) or if he just doesn't like what is being offered to him. Very fun fish though! The one that is eating comes out late in the evening and swims everywhere flashing his "peacock spots".

[ljse]

How about an African Butterfly Fish?

[boulderman1]

i think ropefish get too large for my tank and butterflyfish are very aggressive, i had considered getting a peacock eel but i'm not sure if he would get too bog or not, i may consider a dojo loach, any thoughts/additional species suggestions appreciated

p.s. the shark jaw has been removed from the tank

thanks

[mudvayne]

how about a Sengal Bichir(Polypterus Senegalus) they are passive fish and they make an interesting addition to a aquarium.




Mudvayne

[DevonBlaine]

Sengal Bichir(Polypterus Senegalus) they are passive fish
with my experiences my bichir is more aggressive than my two butterfly fish. They do eat feeder guppies but they are an AWESOME fish. I also feed them cichlid pellets and they tend to jump out of the water to catch the pellets before they hit the water. I dunno.. its pretty cool.
Give them some good floating plant cover and they should leave everyone else alone.

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/miscellaneous/images/afbut7_s.jpg

[DevonBlaine]

However, there are many more unique bichirs out there other than the senigal such as the
ARMOURED:
http://www.primitivefish.com/ZZPdelhezi1x.JPG
ORNATE:
http://www.primitivefish.com/Xornate.JPG

Very unique primitive fish (http://www.primitivefish.com/bichirs.htm)

[mudvayne]

those other bichir are more agressive and they cant stand other fish that impead on their territory i have a armoured bichir(dehelzi) and he attacked and killed all of my convicts in the tank with him. So in a community style setup i would still chose the sengal over the others.


Mudvayne

[fishisme]

i think some tinfoil barbs would look real nice in yer tank.. u need somethin that hangs towards the bottom...

[Toirtis]

i think ropefish get too large for my tank

Not so large....rarely bigger than 1cm in diameter and 55cm in length in captivity, and that 55cm does not need so much space, being so flexible and eel-like. Just be sure that they are not with anything they can swallow.

[Toirtis]

With ornate bichirs at an eventual size of 24"+ (and very hefty) and armoureds at 16" (and hefty), both would be too large, anyways. A senegal would be the largest Polypterus species that could be considered, and I would suggest against even that.

[boulderman1]

my 37 is only 30 inches long, do other people think that's ok for a rope fish, or would i be better off with a couple of weather loaches or even a fire or peacock eel, more than one person's opinion is helpful here

thanks

[FreddytheFish]

Bichirs get too big.

I don't really think ABFs are that aggressive, I think they'd be fine. Or you could do a spiny eel species.

BTW, fw lions and morays are really brackish.

[jm1212]

i read in Aquarium Fish mag that there are no such thing as either. some species simply spend time in fresh/brackish water but are acctually need to be kept as any other full marine species.

[FreddytheFish]

i read in Aquarium Fish mag that there are no such thing as either. some species simply spend time in fresh/brackish water but are acctually need to be kept as any other full marine species

Both of the aforementioned species are fine in brackish water.

[plah831]

would i be better off with a couple of weather loaches or even a fire or peacock eel, more than one person's opinion is helpful here

I looooove my golden dojo loaches (also known as a weather loach, there are a couple species, I think). Misgurnus angullicaudatus, pink variety. They are a form of albino, but not truly albino because no pink eyes.

They are full of personality. Are curious, fearless, and will actively seek our your hand to investigate. Mine love getting petted and like to curl up in my hand. They're scale-less, and they feel like a baby's butt! Super soft, and pink, too :)

They get about 8" long, so they should be just fine in your tank. They are also elongated, eel-like, and flexible. I can't express how fun these guys are. They're really more like dogs than fish. Plus those adorable pink whiskers :D

[Sunni Side Up]

I looooove my golden dojo loaches (also known as a weather loach, there are a couple species, I think). Misgurnus angullicaudatus, pink variety. They are a form of albino, but not truly albino because no pink eyes.
.................

Hi "Aqua Mom!" :D
(Reading it from somewhere, I know you are younger than me, but I used the term in a respectable manner.)

I have those dojo loaches, too. One is gray with tiny brown speckles (got very chubby!) and two gold dojos that have brown, flowery patches on mostly their back. They are adorable and playful, so smooth, soft, and cuddly in your hand – definitely one of my very favorites!!

I also have African Butterfly Fish in the same tank with the dojos and the bichir. I’ve never seen any aggressive behaviors from any of them. The butterflies are not very active either. My Senegal bichir isn't as active as the dojos either.

http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/264/mydojostu4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/3006/my3dojosjr2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[plah831]

hi, honey!

Your spotted golden dojo looks just like mine :) My other one is all gold, but I love them both! The normal brown speckled ones have the same personality, but I just like the way the goldens look.

I want a butterfly! I can't wait till I have enough time/money/space for all the fish I want :D

[tmtpowers]

A fire eel will get WAY too big for your tank.
Sunni, your dojos are beautiful!!

[Sunni Side Up]

.......
Sunni, your dojos are beautiful!!
Thank you! I think so, too! :D
Just watch out for them when it's feeding time.... They are such fast chompers that other fish may go hungry if I don't put in extra food for them at the same time!

[plah831]

leucistic! That's what it's called. It's not actually albinism (lack of melanin), but just reduced pigmentation.

Thanks to this thread :)
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=638480&postcount=27

Here's some pics of my boys
http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/1141/loachieslm5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
They're best buddies :)

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/9324/fredeq7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Look at that kisser!

Sorry about the picture quality. I don't have a digital camera, only my phone.

[boulderman1]

the link to your tank pic isn't working for me, but anyways, thanks to your suggestions, i think i will get two dojos, either a pink and regular or two pink ones, so that brings my list to:

2 or 3 german blue rams
1 pearl gourami
1 pleco
1 dwarf gourami
1 yellow lab
5 red-eye tetras
2 weather loaches

and maybe an angel and/or snail

that's for my 37 gal, with that list i might get another filter, is this a good idea, i have a bio wheel rated to up to 50 gallon tank, so if i got another of the same (brings it to 100 gal rating) would i be ok?

[boulderman1]

weird, now the link works lol :duh:

[plah831]

what kind of pleco are you considering? I ask because the commons get huge (nearly 2 ft).

For filtration, my rule of thumb is to strive for a filter rated at 10 times my tank volume per hour. So for my 29 gal, I have a 250 gph filter (I figure the tank holds about 25 gallons after gravel, decorations, etc.). This is because the rating is for an empty filter. The actual volume circulated is reduced when you add filter media. This way, it ensures that your water is being circulated at least 5-7X per hour.

Check my last post again. I just fixed the link. :)

I just saw your last post. That's what happens when I edit when someone is reading :pc:

[boulderman1]

also, plah831, do you personally think a ropefish or butterfly would be ok in my tank??

[Sunni Side Up]

leucistic! That's what it's called.....

Ohhh.... makes you just want to hug them and kiss them... beautiful kids! How do you tell whether they are boys or girls?

[boulderman1]

the one i have says 200 gph, so two would make 400 gph, and i would try to get a cool looking pleco that didn't get too big, but aren't they important for keeping a tank cleaner?

[plah831]

I think an African butterflyfish would be OK in that size, but it depends on what kind of other fish you plan on keeping in there. They will eat anything small enough to fit in their mouth, I've heard. They don't get very big, though, about 4". It might swallow the tetras once it got big enough, eek! They're very cool though, definitely unique, and I want one myself.

I don't know anything about ropefish, sorry. Thanks for asking my opinion :)

[plah831]

boulderman, plecos (or other algae-eating fish) are not needed to clean algae. Plecos will get more aggressive and omnivorous as they get larger. They also poop A LOT, so will add a lot to your bio-load. I think the dojos will be your best bet for eating leftover food on the bottom, because they're peaceful. Be sure to supplement them with some sinking food, though. It's not fair to make those beauties survive on leftovers alone :)

There are some smaller plecos that might work, though, like rubberlip or bristlenose but I don't know much about them. My only experience with plecos is with a common pleco (Hypostomus plecostomus) that tripled its size in three months and started pushing around my spotted golden dojo. He had to go! Nobody pushes around my pink babies.

For algae control, it's much more effective to clean it yourself and do frequent water changes to remove excess nutrients.

Sunni, I've read that males have the 2nd ray of their pectoral fins longer than the first, so they can stand up on them. I haven't paid too close of attention to the ones in the store, but mine both have that characteristic. Their pectoral fins look like triangles, while I've heard the females' are supposed to be more rounded.

[fishcatch22]

[QUOTE=Sunni Side Up] "Aqua Mom!"[QUOTE\] yeah, that pretty much sums her up.;) she treats me like her kid,even though i'm not really old enough to be her kid. (unless she were to get pregnant at 12.)

[plah831]

Sorry, Boulderman. this post is off-topic.


she treats me like her kid,even though i'm not really old enough to be her kid. (unless she were to get pregnant at 12.)
who says I didn't? ;)

No, no, I didn't. I hope you don't mind that I have a mothering instinct toward you, fishcatch! It just means I like you :)